Shell-cutting machine.



No. 665,532. Patented Jan. 8, I90l. E. l. KIDD & G. C.-WURSTER.

SHELL CUTTING MACHINE.

' (Application filed Mar. 28, 1900.) (No Mpdel.) 2 Sheets$heet l.

'l JIIIMI a P l SHELL, CUTTING MACHINE.

' A lication filed mi. 28, 1900,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Nn Model.)

J. PM ,6

NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

EDWARD I. KIDD AND GOTTLIEB C. WURSTER, OF PRAIRIE DU GHIEN, WISCONSIN.

SHELL-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 665,532, dated January8, 1901.

Application filed March 28, 1900. Serial No. 10,441. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD I. KIDI) and GOTTLIEB (J. WURSTER, ofPrairie du Ohien, in the county of Crawford and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and useful Improvementin Shell-OuttingMachines,of whichthe following is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings,which are a part of this specification.

Our invention is embodied in an improved machine for transverselydividing blanks or planchets of mother-of-pearl of shells or analogousmaterial, especially such cylindrical blanks or planchets as have beencut from the shell preparatory to the manufacture of buttons therefrom.

The invention is in means for clasping a blank or planchet andpresenting it in proper form and manner to a means for transverselydividing it, in means for mounting and operating a plurality of theblank-clasping devices and presenting the blanks to the means fordividing them, and in the means for dividing the blanks.

The invention consists of the machine and its parts and combination ofparts, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is-an end elevation at the front of themachine, a portion of the frame being broken away for convenience ofillustration. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine, thechuck-carrying wheel and some parts of a chuck mounted therein beingshown in cross-section about centrally thereof horizontally. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the machine at the right in Fig. 1. Fig.4. is avertical section of substantially that portion of the chuck-carryingwheel shown in Fig. 2 and of the chucks thereon in connection witha camby which the chucks are operated.

In the drawings, 5 is a frame of such size and form as adapts it forsupporting the operative mechanism.

The machine shown in the drawings, in which our invention is embodied,includes twelve blank-holding chucks and the means for supporting andoperating them and presenting them in front of the means (also shown inthe drawings) for dividing the blanks transversely. The number of thechucks employed is a matter within the discretion of the builder ofthemachine; but it is desirable to have a sufficient number that theattendant can replenish them successively with blanks or planchets to bepresented to the saw or blankdividing means successively and rapidlywithout loss of time.

Each of the blank-holding chucks is completein itself, and a descriptionof one of them is a description of all, as each is a duplicate of theother. The chucks are so constructed that each is adapted to take andhold a cylindrical blank or planchet and present it while being rotatedto a saw or other dividing means, whereby the out into the blank is madeinitially in the surface of the perimeter and entirely around the blank,the saw or cuttinginstrument gradually but rapidly cutting deeper anddeeper into the blank continuously around its axis until it is finallydivided by a cut that extends inwardly from its perimeter to its axis.

A chuck-carrying wheel 6,fixed on the shaft 7, provided with aband-pulley 8, is driven from any convenient source of power. The wheel6 is provided with a widened grooved rim 9, the annular side walls ofwhich rim are in radial planes opposite each other and form the supportin which the several chucks 10 are mounted.

Each of the chucks consists of a spindle or stock 11, preferablycylindrical in form and having its front end enlarged by beveling itinto frustum-cone form, with its base outwardly toward its extremity,which beveled portions of the spindle or stock are split or cleft,preferably quadified, and thus divided into jaws 12 12. This stock orspindle is provided medially with an enlarged encircling band forming apulley 13, which is secured releasably to the stock 11 by aholding-screw 14. At its rear extremity the stock 11 is journaled in asleeve or annular box 15, that turns by an exterior screw in the wall ofthe rim 9, and is locked in position releasably by the screw 16. Acollar 17, secured to the stock 11, bears against the outer end of thebox 15. A sleeve 18, provided with the funnel-shaped front end that fitson the beveled exterior surface of the cleft and cone-shaped frontextremity of the stock 11, extends rearwardly therefrom and at its rearextremity is supported on the stock conveniently by fitting movably onthe exteriorsurface of the hub 19 of the pulley 13. The sleeve 18 isjournaled revolubly in the front wall of the rim 9 of the wheel 6, andpreferably in a hard-metal sleeve-box 20, fitted in the rim of the wheeltherefor. A spring 21, coiled about the stock 11 within the sleeve 18and hearing at its front end against a shoulder on the sleeve 18 and atits rear end against the hub 19, is adapted to force the sleeve 18forwardly on the cone-shaped cleft front portion of the spindle withsuch effortas to bring the parts or jaws of the chuck toward each other,thereby compelling them to clasp a blank or any article fitted in the chuck-socket 22 in the front end of the spindle or chuck. This socket 22in these chucks is of such form and size laterally as adapts it toreceive therein the blank to be divided and is of such depth as toproperly take therein so much of the blank as is necessary to hold itinposition while being severed at a proper distance from the bottom of thesocket by the saw or cutting-tool. The disposition of this chuck or thebottom of the socket from the saw or cutting-tool is adjusted by thesleeve or box 15 turning by its thread in the rim 9. It will be undrtoodthat normally the action of the spring 21 is such as to force the sleeve18 forward onto the cone-shaped jaws of the chuck and close them towardeach other, thus making the clasping effort of the chuck automatic underthe action of the spring 21.

As a means for dividing the blanks or planchets held in the chucksmounted in the wheel 6 we preferably employ a circular revolving saw 23,fixed on a shaft 24, journaled in the frame, which shaft 24 is providedwith a belt-pulley 25, whereby the saw is revolved rapidly from anyconvenient source of power. The saw 23 is so disposed that itsperipheral cutting edge is in front of the chucks as they severally comethereto on the wheel 6, and when the chuck comes to the straight linefrom the axis of the wheel 6 to the axis of the saw the cutting edge ofthe saw is at the prolonged axis of the chuck, the arrangement beingsuch that as the chucks on the wheel 6 come to the saw the saw willfirst contact with the periphery of the blank in the chuck and will cutinto the blank as the chuck moves toward and comes to the right linefrom the axis of the wheel to the axis of the saw. As not only revolvingsaws but other forms of saws and cutting-tools are old and well known,it is not intended to limit the invention herein to the use only of arevolving saw, as another form of cutting-tool might be used fordividing, cutting off, or abrading the material in the chuck, though itis believed that a revolving saw is the most desirable form ofcutting-tool that can be employed in this relation for dividing blanks.

As it is important that the blank to be divided should be presented tothe cutting-tool so that the cut shall be initially around itsperimeter, it is herein provided that the chucks in which the blank orplanchet, one of which is shown at B nearly severed by the saw, shall berotated as they severally come to and pass the saw or cutting implement,and for this purpose an endless belt 26, carried on a shaft 27 and anidle pulley 28, is so disposed that one leg of the belt contacts withthe pulley l3 the chucks severally on the wheel 6 apppoach the saw orcutting-tool and before reaching the cutting-tool and while passing it,whereby by the movement of the belt the chuck and the blank therein willbe constantly rotated during the time the blank is in contact with thecutting implement. The manner in which this function is accomplished isclearly indicated in the drawings. The belt 26 is conveniently driven bya belt 29, running on a pulley on the shaft 27 and on a pulley on thedriving-shaft 7.

As will be seen by reference to the drawings, the jaws 12 of the chucksare shown as closed to such extent as to grasp a blank therein in allthose chucks that are at the upper side of the wheel 6, as shown in Fig.1, and these are those chucks that are approaching the cutting implementand that are supposed to be supplied with blanks to be divided. Afterthe chuck has passed the saw and the blank has been divided it isdesirable that the jaws of the chuck should be opened to release thatportion of the blank that is still clasped therein, and for this purposethe jaw-contracting sleeve 1b must be moved rearwardly against theaction of the spring 21. For this purpose the sleeve 18 on each chuck isprovided with an aunularflange 30, and an elongated curved cam 31, fixedon the frame and provided with a laterally-inclined front end 32, is sodisposed that when the chuck carried on the wheel 6 comes thereto, toengage the flange 30 and force the sleeve 18 rearwardly and to continueto hold the sleeve in this rearward position during a considerableportion of its movement on and with the wheel 6, whereby the jaws of thechuck are released from the contracting action of the sleeve 18 and arepermitted to separate, as shown at the lower part of the wheel 6 in Fig.1, by their resiliency, and the severed portion of the blank in thechuck as it passes the saw is permitted to fall out, and the attendantis enabled to place a fresh undivided blank in the chuck, which isautomatically clasped by the jaws thereof under the action of the spring21 and the sleeve 18 when the chuck has passed the rear extremity of thecam 31. (Shown at the left in Fig. l.) The rear extremity of the cam 31is also preferably inclined away from the path of the flanges 30, sothat the sleeve 18 will be released gradually from the cam and from theaction of the spring 21.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. In combination, means forsupportinga chuck, a chuck-stock provided with a cleftfrustum-cone-shaped terminal portion having a socket for material in thebase of the cone at the end of the stock, means at the rear of thefrustum-cone portion of the stock supporting the stock revolubly butnon-movably endwise, a funnel-shaped sleeve fitted movably on the cleftcone-shaped portion of the stock, a spring inclosed by the sleeve aboutthe stock adapted to force the sleeve toward the base of the cone andclose the jaws thereof.

2. In combination, a revoluble wheel pro vided with a laterally-widenedrim, a chuck or chucks consisting severally of a stock provided with acleft frustum-cone-shaped termin al portion having a socket for materialin the base of the cone at the end of the stock and mounted revolublybut non-movably end- Wise in the wheel, a funnel-shaped sleeve fittedmovably on the cleft cone-shaped portion of the stock, a spring inclosedby the sleeve acting on the sleeve and the stock adapted to force thesleeve toward the base of the cone and close the jaws, an annular rib onthe sleeve, and a cam disposed to engage the rib during a portion of therotation of the wheel and to withdraw the sleeve from the frustum-conejaws permitting them to open.

3. In combination, means for supporting a chuck, a chuck-stock providedwith a cleft frustum-cone-shaped terminal portion having amaterial-socket in the base of the cone at the end of the stock, afunnel-shaped sleeve fitted movably on the cleft cone-shaped portion ofthe stock, a spring adapted to force the sleeve toward the base of thecone and close the jaws thereof, and an adjustable sleeve box in whichthe chuck-stock is mounted and so related thereto that by the adjustmentof the sleeve-box in its support the chuck can be adjustedlongitudinally.

4:. In combination, means for supporting a chuck, a chuck-stock providedwith a cleft frustu m-cone-shaped terminal portion having amaterial-socket in the end of the stock, a funnel-shaped sleeve fittedmovably on the cleft cone-shaped portion of the stock, a spring adaptedto force the sleeve toward the base of the cone and close the jawsthereof, an adj ustable sleeve-box in which the chuck-stock is mountedand so related thereto that by the versely thereof, a pulley on eachchuck, and

an adjacent belt at one side and independent of said wheel disposed tobear against the pulley on each chuck during a part of its orbit on andwith the revoluble wheel whereby the chuck is rotated by the running ofthe belt.

6. In combination, a revoluble wheel provided with a laterally-widenedrim, a chuck or chucks mounted rotatably in the rim transverselythereof, apulley on each chuck, an adjacent belt at one side andindependent of said wheel disposed to bear against the pulley on eachchuck during a part of its orbit on and with the revoluble wheel wherebythe chuck is rotated by the running of the belt, and a cutting-tooldisposed and adapted to contact with and out a blank in the chuck whilethe chuck is being rotated by the belt.

7. In combination, a revoluble wheel provided with a laterally-widenedrim, a chuck stock or stocks mounted in the rim trans versely thereof,said stock or stocks having a cleft cone-shaped terminal portion, afunnelshaped sleeve fitted on the cone-shaped portion of the stock, aspring acting on the sleeve adapted to force it onto and close the jawsof the cone-shaped portion of the stock, and a cam adapted during aportion of the revolution of the wheel to contact with the sleeve andwithdraw it from the jaws permitting them to open bytheir resiliency.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD I. KIDD. GOTTLIEB C. WURSTER. Witnesses:

S. N. BISBEE, A. G. KIESER.

